The COVID-19 pandemic is changing people’s habits and behaviors and will reshape city layout and management. Among the different areas of research to be explored, the paper outlines first inputs to ...use the COVID-19 health crisis as a “window of opportunity” to trigger a sustainable transition of urban living environments, through actions to reshape and territorial organization after COVID-19 and in preparation for future health. Before having a vaccine or medications that ensure a non-lethal disease course, there will be a phase of responsibility and coexistence with the virus. It will be a period whose duration experts are still unable to quantify. What changes in the city organization, behaviors and uses of spaces will we observe in the living environments? Will this lead to a sustainability transition? The paper proposes a qualitative review to investigate how the droplet might travel through the air and how COVID-19 has spread in different urban contexts to outline a comprehensive reflection on the future of the city and strategies for more resilient communities and territories. To achieve this goal, the paper proposes the need of a comparison between skills related to physics aspects, such as fluid dynamics (to assess how droplets spread) and skills related to architectural, urban and territorial design (to evaluate the conditions of indoor and outdoor living environments).
The article presents the results of a study aimed at investigating the engagement networks activated in the planning process of the territories affected by the 2016 earthquake in the Marche region. ...The research objective is to reflect on communication strategies implemented by a selection of municipal administrations to promote transparency and information sharing and, at the same time, citizen participation in design and planning processes. The results highlight the emergence of an all-of-society engagement approach, to experiment and co-create with a renewed relationship between institutions, science, and local communities.
Climate change has dramatically affected the rainfall patterns and water systems in Central Italy. The vulnerability of this area to climate change and natural hazards necessitates that appropriate ...adaptation policies be put in place to protect heritage sites. This study aims to develop a cultural and natural heritage conservation framework for Central Italy that enhances the capacity of climate change adaptation for heritage resources. For this purpose, a comparison was made between the UNESCO (United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Convention of 1972 and the European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe to achieve a coherent vision for the protection of heritage resources in Europe. After describing the impacts of climate change on heritage resources in Central Italy, we analyze and suggest improvements to the conservation framework for wisely protecting heritage resources in a changing climate. The findings reveal that conservation sectors require assessments of the value of heritage resources at the territorial scale to effectively define conservation priorities, assess the vulnerabilities, and more precisely direct funding. In this respect, the integration of the European Landscape Convention with territorial planning may boost the unity of a conservation framework in terms of climate change while providing new opportunities for conservation authorities to develop adaptation policies.
Natural disasters affect ever-expanding parts of our planet, sometimes hitting areas showing clear signs of long-lasting socio-economic decline. This is the case of the inland areas of the ...Umbria-Marche Apennines, severely damaged by the earthquake of 24 August 2016 and the following ones. The research New development paths for the Marche Apennines, carried out by the four universities of Marche (Camerino, Macerata, Urbino, Marche Polytechnic) in partnership with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and promoted by the Legislative Assembly of Regione Marche, builds on the observation that no form of post-earthquake regeneration of the Marche mountain area is possible without a process aimed at defining new development paths strongly anchored to local identities, courageously aimed at the construction of new social and economic dynamics, capable of interpreting the entrepreneurial capacities of local communities by promoting an increase in the attractiveness of places and therefore the resistance of territorial defence. Keywords: local development; natural disasters; inland areas; local communities; attractiveness of places. I disastri naturali interessano ambiti sempre piu estesi del nostro pianeta, andando talvolta a colpire aree con evidenti segni di declino socio-economico perduranti nel tempo. E il caso delle aree interne dell'Appennino Umbro-Marchigiano, gravemente danneggiate dal sisma del 24 Agosto 2016 e dai successivi. La ricerca Nuovi sentieri di sviluppo per l'Appennino Marchigiano, realizzata dalle quattro Universita marchigiane (di Camerino, di Macerata, di Urbino, Politecnica delle Marche) con la collaborazione dell'Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia e promossa dall'Assemblea legislativa della Regione Marche, prende le mosse dalla constatazione che nessuna forma di rigenerazione post-sisma dell'area montana marchigiana sia possibile senza un processo finalizzato alla definizione di nuovi percorsi di sviluppo significativamente ancorati alle identita locali, coraggiosamente spinti verso la costruzione di nuove dinamiche sociali ed economiche, capaci di interpretare le capacita imprenditoriali delle comunita locali favorendo l'innalzamento dell'attrattivita dei luoghi e quindi la permanenza di presidi territoriali. Parole-chiave: sviluppo locale; disastri naturali; aree interne; comunita locali; attrattivita dei luoghi.
As the world’s largest coordinated network of protected areas, the Natura 2000 network (N2k) encompasses the most valuable and threatened species and habitats in Europe. However, N2k sites have been ...often criticized due to their rigid management system that focuses only on conservation practice without a strategic vision for linking with the regional plans. This study aims to develop a novel approach for sustainable management of N2k sites in Italy by identifying existing gaps and developing conservation policies. For this purpose, a panorama of the current challenges in the European sites was provided at the first step. Then, the management status of the natural protected sites in Italy was studied by selecting the Umbria Region as the case study. Finally, we develop a strategic approach for boosting the conservation policies and sustainable management of the N2k sites in Italy. The findings highlight that the sustainability of N2k sites requires an inclusive effort in the social, economic, and policymaking fields to meet its conservation objectives. Such an effort encompasses a sophisticated management approach that consists of a network of tools for monitoring the state of conservation, land uses, and socio-economic activities at the regional scale. Furthermore, the integration of environmental policies with regional plans is essential for the sustainable management of the N2k sites.
Climate change affects, directly and indirectly, the tangible and intangible features of heritage sites. Conservation studies often examine the impacts of climate change on heritage sites by assuming ...it as an isolated and static concept. This study aims to debate cultural heritage concept as the primary and neglected factor for wise development of climate-resilience policies. We first adopt the qualitative Meta-synthesis method to analyze the impacts of climate change on world heritage sites, through a systematic review of reports published by the UNESCO and its advisory bodies. Then, it is explained why the sustainability of cultural heritage requires a fundamental reconsideration of the concept and promotion of its evaluation framework. The findings suggest that protection of cultural heritage and developing the climate-resilience policies for the sustainability of landscape requires at the early stages a reflection on how heritage is defined as a useful resource and acceptable characteristic of territory.
This paper examines whether natural disasters open a policy window of opportunity for sustainable transition in lagging regions. Bridging disaster studies and the transition management approach, the ...authors define the Post-Disaster Policy Window of Opportunity (PPWO) concept, as a heuristic tool to assess the acceleration of a sustainable transition generated by a shock. The paper applies PPWO to the case study of the Central Italy earthquake (2016) deploying both primary and secondary data concerning public policies designed to pursue societal challenges at regional levels. The authors examine (i) the governance scheme, (ii) the objectives, and (iii) the policy implementation strategy of the transition as agreed in a pre-disaster phase, and whether they changed during the disaster and in its aftermath. The findings highlight natural disasters per se cannot prompt a radical change to territorial development patterns in lagging regions. However, disasters' potential to spur sustainable transitiońs acceleration can be enabled through a place-based approach with a coherent vertical and horizontal policy coordination.
•The support of an actor who has a detailed view of the context represents a strategic collaboration that can ensure the success of a plan.•Collaborative model (Sagor, 2000) can guide the design of ...those place-based polices that can better ensure a sustainable long term development.•The developed model demonstrates that it is possible to put in place a multilayer planning supported by the expertise of local actors.•Collaboration of stakeholders is a good practice for the design and implementation of those activities which involve the integration of sectors.
“Futures” studies have treated the issue of place-based approach and bioregionalism planning as tool to achieve a sustainable development in areas characterized by exclusive natural peculiarities (Gray, 2007; Tonn, English, Turner, & Hemrick, 2006). After reviewing theories and cases concerning the re-launch of this kind of territories, the study introduces the concept of inner areas (Barca, 2009). Inner areas, described as a specific territorial weak category, are central to the European and Italian debate about territorial inequality and fragmentation. However, no methods to implement processes to develop inner areas have been officially identified. With these premises, this study presents a profile of a new territorial planning model of local development based on the implementation of multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder processes. New perspectives on sustainable long-term development, as well as the involvement of local stakeholders in planning choices, are central to this work.
The focus of the study is an Italian inner area. In this study, the collaborative action-research model proposed by Sagor (2000) is transposed from the educational context into the field of sustainable regional planning for the first time. The aim is to suggest a sustainable local development pathway, by considering together local economic, naturalistic and cultural resources.
The research demonstrates that a place-based approach for developing inner areas is achievable thanks to a multidisplinary and multistakeholder approach to territorial planning, aimed at reducing marginality (Pateman, 2011) and stimulating local economy (Sharma, 2000). The lessons learnt by the planning experience are analysed and the possible application of the Sagor model in future planning experiences is discussed.
Research on Ecosystem Services (ES) has become dominant in landscape planning to frame the relationship between people and nature. Increasingly, studies are stressing that most ES do not flow from ...nature alone but require a significant human contribution, known as ES co-production. However, there is a lack of understanding on how different stakeholders contribute to ES co-production. Here, we integrated stakeholders’ perspectives in landscape planning using questionnaires and focus groups in a case study in Le Marche, Italy. We found that respondents acknowledge co-production in a wide range of ES with a major share of cultural ES. Mostly self-perceived as users and managers, local stakeholders invest in their activities mainly human and social capitals, while physical and financial capitals gain importance in the case of provisioning services. Our findings embraced the multiple aspects of human-nature interactions, offering the opportunity to bridge different sectors, such as agriculture, eco-tourism, and resilience against extreme events, toward a multifunctional vision of landscapes. The integration of the ES co-production framework proved useful in fostering the access of stakeholders to decision-making.
The risks posed by climate change are becoming an increasingly significant threat to land use and the socio-ecological system of many cultural landscapes. Despite substantial efforts to assess the ...vulnerability of cultural landscapes, building climate change adaptation capacity through participatory and integrated approaches has received less attention in landscape planning studies. Here, we assert that strengthening local community participation in regional planning is needed to support the sustainable management of cultural landscapes in a changing climate. We first identify fundamental determinants that affect local community involvement in cultural heritage conservation practices. Then, we apply these principles to analyze the adaptation planning processes in the cultural landscapes of Cinque Terre (Italy) and the Region of Waterloo (Canada). The findings suggest that although local community engagement is essential for building climate adaptation in cultural landscapes, decision-makers need improved strategies to integrate climate change policies into regional plans.
•The cultural landscape of Cinque Terre used a forecasting model to assess hydro-meteorological risk without involving stakeholders.•Climate adaptation planning in the Region of Waterloo occurred parallel to cultural landscape planning.•Our analysis offers strategies imperative to participatory approaches to climate change adaptation in cultural landscapes.•It is essential that climate adaptation planning in cultural landscapes engage local communities in all stages.
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